Staff Picks

At our staff meetings we take a few minutes to talk about the books we are reading. This is a list of recent favorites. STAFF PICKS Clever Gift Giving For those who consider themselves crafty, the holiday season is one of the best times of the year, as it provides an opportunity to shower friends and family with gifts made with your own two hands. Homemade: The Heart and Science of Handcrafts, from veteran craft book author Carol Endler Sterbenz, is the ultimate tool for gift making -- and crafting all year round! For beginners and experts, it holds all the necessary how-to's and ideas to create unforgettable gifts from the heart. With seven categories of projects that range from beading to floral arts to decoupage, Homemade holds countless ways to make each and every person on your list feel special. To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page. Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems By Millan, Cesar With Peltier, Melissa Jo 2007-09 - Three Rivers Press (CA) 9780307337979 Check Our Catalog In this definitive and accessible guide, Millan, star of National Geographic Channels hit show "The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan," reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life. …More Lost By Maguire, Gregory 2002-09 - Harper Paperbacks 9780060988647 Check Our Catalog In this third novel by the acclaimed bestselling author of "Wicked" and "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, " famed children's book author Winifred Rudge travels to London to research a book about a woman who is being haunted by Jack the Ripper. Line drawings. Print features. …More Micro By Crichton, Michael Author Preston, Richard 2011-11 - Harper 9780060873028 Check Our Catalog After Crichton's death in November 2008, Preston ("The Hot Zone") was drafted to complete the work Crichton had begun on this novel. The setting: Hawaii. The characters: graduate students at a biotech company who get dumped into the rain forest and must use their science smarts to survive. …More The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Selznick, Brian Illustrator Selznick, Brian 2007-03 - Scholastic Press 9780439813785 Check Our Catalog 2008 Caldecott Medal Winner BookPage Notable Title Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender and spellbinding mystery. …More I Will Come Back for You: A Family in Hiding During World War II By Russo, Marisabina Illustrator Russo, Marisabina 2011-09 - Schwartz & Wade Books 9780375866951 Check Our Catalog A grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of the charm bracelet that represents her own childhood experiences while she and her Jewish family tried to evade the Nazis in Italy during World War II. Full color. …More My First Day at a New School By Guillain, Charlotte 2011-01 - Heinemann Library 9781432948061 Check Our Catalog …More Mustache! By Barnett, Mac Illustrator Cornell, Kevin 2011-10 - Hyperion Books 9781423116714 Check Our Catalog When extremely good-looking King Duncan builds more and more tributes to his handsome face, neglecting kingdom projects and repairs, his loyal subjects find a mustachioed solution. …More Chilly Milly Moo By Ross, Fiona 2011-10 - Candlewick Press (MA) 9780763656935 Check Our Catalog While the other cows are enjoying the sun and making plenty of milk, Milly Moo is too hot to make a drop but when the temperature falls, Milly Moo shows the farmer and the rest of the herd what she can do. …More Drawing from Memory By Say, Allen 2011-09 - Scholastic Press 9780545176866 Check Our Catalog Caldecott Medalist Say ("Grandfather's Journey") presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during World War II, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist. …More Ha-Ha Holiday Jokes to Tickle Your Funny Bone By Niven, Felicia Lowenstein 2011-04 - Enslow Elementary 9780766035423 Check Our Catalog "Includes jokes, limericks, knock-knock jokes, tongue twisters, and fun facts about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays, and describes how to create your own funny greeting cards"--Provided by publisher. …More My Favorite Recipes By Karmel, Annabel 2011-01 - DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) 9780756671952 Check Our Catalog Everyone eats, but not everyone eats well. "My Favorite Recipes" addresses this problem with more than 40 carefully chosen recipes from children's cooking book guru Karmel that will feed the whole family while giving kids the chance to get in the kitchen. Full color. …More I Broke My Trunk! By Willems, Mo 2011-02 - Hyperion Books 9781423133094 Check Our Catalog Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In I Broke My Trunk! Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. Will Piggie end up with a long, crazy story of her own? …More Art & Max By Wiesner, David 2010-10 - Clarion Books 9780618756636 Check Our Catalog A three-time Caldecott Medalist delivers a mixed-media picture book about friendship and art. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max's first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media. Full color. …More Hanukkah: A Counting Book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish By Sper, Emily 2001-09 - Scholastic 9780439282918 Check Our Catalog A radiant read-aloud book--with the symbols of Hanukkah presented to stunning effect--teaches children to count to eight in three languages. Full-color illustrations. …More K is for Kwanzaa By Ford, Juwanda G. Illustrator Wilson-Max, Ken 1997-10 - Scholastic 9780590922005 Check Our Catalog CCBC Choices - 1997 This unique and beautifully illustrated book by the creator of "Little Red Plane" celebrates the joyful African-American holiday Kwanzaa. Full color. …More Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By Riggs, Ransom 2011-06 - Quirk Books 9781594744761 Check Our Catalog A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. …More The Help By Stockett, Kathryn 2009-02 - Amy Einhorn Books 9780399155345 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another. HPL patron: Best book I've read in a long time. Love it. HPL patron: Four stars. Quite a look at our history. HPL patron: Loved this book, a true aspect of the past. …More